The Dallas Cowboys just hit absolute rock bottom, and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin has officially seen enough. Following Dallas’ shocking 33-30 overtime collapse against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, the former Cowboys wide receiver completely lost his cool on ESPN’s First Take, delivering one of the most explosive live television ranting dialogues this season.
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Honestly, nobody expected Irvin to hold back after watching Dallas throw away a two-touchdown lead. As co-host Stephen A. Smith roasted head coach Brian Schottenheimer and argued that an interim coach could run things better, betting his “check on it.”
Irvin fired back without hesitation when Smith questioned Irvin’s willingness to take such a hard stance against his former team, the Cowboys’ HC.
“There is no worse that you can be than they are right now. There is no such thing as lower than this, or worse than this, or not as good as this. They are the worst! So, so anybody…anybody, my dead mom can coach them better!” Michael Irvin replied on ESPN’s First Take, as per a clip posted by Awful Announcing on X.
Smith set the stage for that eruption by calling out those who’ve been soft on Schottenheimer in the past. Smith stressed that there are only 32 head coaching jobs in the entire NFL, reminding viewers that the Cowboys are “America’s team, right? One of, if not the most prestigious jobs, clearly, in all of sports, considering the value of this franchise.”
He couldn’t fathom how Schottenheimer got handed the gig in the first place, calling him “a coordinator that wasn’t even calling plays” when Jerry Jones handed him the reins while “nobody else was looking to hire” him as a HC.
Smith then went in on the team’s lack of discipline and urgency, pointing out that Schottenheimer is “under .500 and calling yourself a great coach.” He argued that when the head coach carries an unearned ego, the Cowboys players follow suit: “No wonder these cats ain’t prioritizing stuff. Because you think you’re great even though your record says otherwise.”
Smith hammered the point home, adding, “Your record says you ain’t even mediocre. You ain’t even average. You’re four games under .500, and you calling yourself great. That’s the damn problem.”
To fix the culture, Smith argued that Dallas needs a defensive hard-nose to be stern and give the locker room a badly needed attitude adjustment, drawing parallels to Mike Ditka leaning on Buddy Ryan with the legendary 1985 Bears. Smith then made his plea directly to the front office.
“If I’m Jerry Jones, I call ESPN right now trying to pluck Rex Ryan from this job to get him on the sideline this damn weekend. I promise you, with four days preparation, that man will do a better job than what the hell we’ve seen the Dallas Cowboys doing all season long. I’d bet my check on it.”
Dallas entered the 4th quarter sitting comfortably with a 17-10 lead and eventually pushed it to 27-17. According to ESPN’s Research, the Cowboys entered the game 202-0-1 all-time in franchise history at home when leading by 14 or more points in the 4th quarter. Sunday marked the first time Dallas ever let that kind of cushion disappear at home.
The 33-30 overtime collapse dropped Dallas to 3-5, with QB Dak Prescott later admitting that the outcome “s—s” and calling it one of the toughest losses of his career.